Inside The Bills

On Sunday Chan Gailey chose to pass on a 52-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter to punt and pin Indianapolis deep. The Colts were able to drive the length of the field however, and get a field goal of their own in the 20-13 defeat for Buffalo. It was very similar to another punting decision back in Week 6 at Arizona.

In overtime against Arizona facing a 4th-and-10 at the Cardinals 35-yard line the Bills chose to pass on a 53-yard field goal attempt and punt. Shawn Powell punted into the end zone. Jairus Byrd did make the game-clinching interception on that ensuing Arizona drive to seal the win.

Here was coach Gailey’s take on his decision Sunday.

“He might make it,” said Gailey of Lindell. “He might not, but we were playing pretty good defensively and I thought if we backed them up down there and held them it’s better for us percentage-wise and we’d be able to get a touchdown out of it with better field position.”

Both of those games this season took place indoors. Rian Lindell in his Buffalo career has just one 50-plus yard field goal attempt indoors. It was on Oct. 15, 2006 at Detroit and Lindell was good on a 53-yard attempt.

When asked about Lindell’s range indoors Gailey indicated they were right on the edge of it.

“Fifty, 51, 52, somewhere in there,” said Gailey. “You always make a decision about that. About whether or not to go for the field goal or go for the punt to try to play field position. My tendency for the most part is to try to play field position.”

For his career, Lindell is 11-21 on 50-plus yard field goal attempts (52.4%).